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Languages
LGGS MFL Department
Curriculum Statement of Intent
Care
In MFL we care deeply about our pupils’ wellbeing and their understanding and acceptance of other cultures and the wider community. This ethos is nurtured both in the classroom through sensitive and supportive teaching and learning, and out of the classroom, most notably through our international links with exchange programmes and foreign visits when circumstances allow. We also celebrate language and culture of our EAL students by encouraging qualifications to be taken in home languages and through the school’s International Week. We use a variety of authentic materials to enhance the learning experience of our students and their appreciation of cultural differences
Contribute
In MFL, pupils are encouraged to contribute in lessons through positive teaching and a strong emphasis on rewards. Older pupils support younger ones through our mentor scheme, and sixth form and former pupils also assist with key stage 3 classes in their free time as part of their school enrichment programme. Language Societies and clubs are on offer when possible. We also regularly welcome and support PGCE students in our department. Wider MFL learning opportunities are often promoted to encourage contribution beyond the curriculum, such as the Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition, university led competitions and the UK Linguistics Olympiad. All pupils are encouraged to contribute to International Week in as many ways as possible.
Challenge
Students are challenged in their MFL learning, not only through informed teaching in the classroom but also through use of authentic materials and links with native speakers, for example with pen pals’ schemes in Spanish, use of the foreign exchange students in the classroom and the Fairy Tales project with Peru. The range of projects that pupils undertake across the three languages challenge performance, spontaneity and confidence in the language.
How it works:
French, German and Spanish are offered to GCSE and A-level. In Year 7, pupils study German, Spanish and French for two hours per fortnight. Students then opt to continue with two languages into year 8 and year 9. All pupils must take at least one modern foreign language at GCSE, but many opt for two. We follow the AQA course for both GCSE and A-level. At A-level we are fortunate enough to have three speaking assistants who offer 30 minute speaking sessions to smaller groups of girls on a weekly basis.
If you require any further details, please contact:
Ms Whitehouse, Head of Languages
GCSE Exam Specification Links
Popularity
Languages are a popular choice in the sixth form, and are often studied alongside sciences as well as other arts based subjects. Pupils often continue in their studies of French, German and Spanish but also enjoy taking up new languages at university such as Russian, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese and Polish, or as part of other courses such as Law, Medicine, Chemistry and Business. We maintain good links with our alumnae and year 9 have enjoyed reading a blog by two of our former Hispanists whilst they were on their year abroad in Spain: http://lggsspanishblog.wordpress.com
Useful Links
Below is a list of websites which are useful for practising all languages. For language specific sites, go to the individual language pages.
General |
www.wordreference.com |
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KS3/KS4 |
www.linguascope.com |
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KS4 GCSE Revision |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ |
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KS5 |
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages www.my.dynamic-learning.co.uk |